In the selection of the uncapped players, their performances for state teams in white-ball cricket matter a lot. So do their numbers in U-19 and U-23 cricket.
The IPL franchises do take these things into account before heading to the auction table. But are the scorecards good enough and the only criteria for selecting a young cricketer looking to establish himself in the big league?
For sure, statistics and numbers play a big role but a first-hand view of these young players assumes massive importance. And this is where the scouts of the franchises come in.
Since the inception of the IPL, scouts of the respective franchises ensure they are present at almost all the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy (one-day) matches every season. On finding anyone impressive and promising, they duly take note of the player and report back to their franchises.
“Usually, we visit the national T20 and one-day tournament games and if anyone comes across as a possible game-changer, scores runs at a crucial phase of the game or takes a wicket or bowls a tight over, we take note of him. We then acquire more details about him and recommend them to our franchise,” Delhi Capitals team manager Joydeep Mukherjee, who also doubles up as one of their scouts, told The Telegraph on Wednesday.
“It’s not just about travelling to various venues. You need to have sufficient credentials as well to be a scout. Experience in first-class cricket is essential.
“You need to have that eye to spot a cricketer who could go on to make it big. You can only do that if you have played the game till a certain level,” Mukherjee, who has played 13 first-class and six List A matches for Bengal and East Zone, emphasised.
“Not just these national T20s and one-dayers, but we also go to the grounds to watch Karnataka Premier League, Tamil Nadu Premier League and other T20 league matches. Our job is to find players with the X-factor, which we can get from those competitions as well.
“Just checking the scorecards isn’t enough,” one Royal Challengers Bangalore scout pointed out.
According to another franchise representative: “If a batsman hits 120 off, say 50 balls, that gains a fair bit of significance. Or, if someone comes at No.6 and hits a 20-ball 50, that too features in the scout’s notebook.
“In other words, an innings of impact is taken very seriously by the scouts. For bowlers, if they consistently bowl dot balls, that’s also a good way to impress the scouts.”
If required, these IPL scouts can also visit a red-ball game to check on a player that they are seriously interested in. “How that player adapts to a particular
situation is also tested,” the official added.
The likes of Jharkhand’s Kumar Kushagra (Rs 7.2 crore at Delhi Capitals) and Tamil Nadu’s Shahrukh Khan (Rs 7.4 crore at Gujarat Titans), who struck gold in Tuesday’s auction in Dubai among the Indian uncapped players, have been a find of these scouts.
“From a player’s perspective, we don’t really know who’s watching us when we are playing for our state. But yes, after the last (domestic) season, I got a chance to appear at the Delhi Capitals trials and at a few other franchises as well.
“Obviously, I had to do my best to make an impression. But on getting a chance, you have an opportunity to showcase your abilities. Besides, the scope of trials implies our performances for our states are being monitored,” Kushagra said.